Zombie World: Starting as an apprentice of the Thunder King

"Seven days... we should be able to complete the first step."

Lin Bei estimated the progress, gently placed Bai Ling on the futon, and sat down beside her to begin recovering his magical power.

In the days that followed, Lin Bei repeated the same process every day.

Cast spell, rest, cast spell again...

Shi Shaojian also began to influence Bai Chen, and the two occasionally met to exchange ideas.

Shi Shaojian always complained that Bai Chen was much harder to please than Bai Ling, and that Bai Chen always liked to make a fuss.

Seven days later, after the last wisp of demonic energy was dispelled from Bai Ling's body, the little guy trembled, and a faint spiritual light emanated from his body.

Bai Ling opened her eyes, and her gaze, which had previously held a hint of wildness, became much clearer.

The fox's entire demeanor has changed; it has lost the ferocity typical of demons and gained a touch of spirituality.

After completing the first step, Lin Bei did not stop and immediately began the second step: forming the seal of the bond.

He bit his fingertip and used his blood to draw a Sanmao seal on Bai Ling's head.

The moment the crimson runes disappeared into Bai Ling's spiritual platform, he simultaneously chanted the "Shangqing Spiritual Pact Incantation": "Sanmao above, your disciple Lin Bei, now forges a symbiotic pact with the spirit beast Bai Ling..."

He then felt an invisible spiritual bond being established between him and the little fox.

He could clearly sense Bai Ling's emotions: curiosity, dependence, and a hint of trust that was hard to define.

Bai Ling sensed his emotions, nuzzled his palm with her little head, and let out a soft cry.

"Little one, don't rush!"

The third step is to guide the Qi back to its origin.

Lin Bei placed his palm on Bai Ling's Lingtai acupoint, circulated the Shangqing Great Cave True Scripture, and slowly transferred a wisp of his true qi into Bai Ling's body.

The wisp of true qi flowed slowly along Bai Ling's meridians, gradually guiding it to transform into gentle spiritual energy.

This process is longer than the first two steps.

Lin Bei had to continuously channel his Qi for several hours every day before meditating to restore his magical power.

Bai Ling remained quiet throughout the process, and the little one knew that this was a big deal concerning the future.

Forty-nine days passed in the blink of an eye.

When the last trace of malevolence was transformed into spiritual energy, Bai Ling's whole body trembled violently.

A pure spiritual energy burst forth from its body, then slowly receded.

At this moment, it was no longer a demon, but a true spirit beast.

Bai Ling opened her eyes, a glint of light flashing in her pupils.

Then she suddenly jumped up and pounced into Lin Bei's arms, rubbing her head against his chin.

Her emotions were transmitted through that telepathic connection: happiness, excitement, and a touch of coquetry.

"Master!" At this moment, a childish voice entered Lin Bei's sea of ​​consciousness.

"Haha, I can finally hear you speak!"

Lin Bei happily rubbed Bai Ling's head vigorously.

"From now on, you will follow me in your spiritual practice."

A few days later, Shi Shaojian also carried Bai Chen out of seclusion.

"Look, my son is a spirit beast now."

Bai Chen perched on Shi Shaojian's shoulder and let out two howls at Bai Ling.

Bai Ling glanced at him, flicked her tail, and ignored him.

After the two little foxes completed their transformation into spirit beasts, they spent their days darting around Maoshan Mountain.

The Maoshan disciples all knew that these two foxes were Lin Bei and Shi Shaojian's spirit pets, and they all teased them.

Bai Chen was especially popular, spending all his time acting cute in the arms of female disciples.

Sometimes Shi Shaojian would search for it for a long time, and finally find it in a female disciple's room.

"You beast, you'll be lured away by a woman sooner or later!" Shi Shaojian grabbed Bai Chen by the scruff of his neck and dragged him out.

"You bastard, you're bullying me!"

Bai Chen was dangling in the air, howling in protest.

In the days that followed, Lin Bei began to focus on practicing the last four forms of the Lightning Thunder Fist.

The sixth move, Thunderous Strike, emphasizes winning through sheer quantity.

Using magical power, lightning is transformed into countless tiny bolts, covering a wide area.

It took him nearly two months to barely master this move. Although its power was far less overwhelming than Shi Jian's, it could still cover an area of ​​several feet.

The seventh move, Thunder Prison Suppression, uses the power of thunder to construct a prison to trap the enemy.

This technique requires extremely precise control of magical power, and it took him three months to master it.

The prison formed by lightning was not very stable yet, but it was enough to trap ordinary enemies.

As for the eighth and ninth forms, after several attempts, he found that forcing himself to practice them with his current cultivation level was not feasible.

The magic power simply couldn't withstand that level of consumption, so it was temporarily put aside.

Half a year passed in the blink of an eye, and Lin Bei turned twenty-three in a daze.

His cultivation level has remained stuck at the peak of the mage realm, and his pseudo-core has become increasingly refined, with only a thin membrane separating him from a breakthrough.

That day, Shi Shaojian, who was cultivating, suddenly had a thought and his expression was full of joy: "Junior brother, I feel... I'm about to break through the bottleneck."

"Haha, great job, senior brother! You're finally about to break through to the mage level!" Lin Bei laughed and patted his shoulder.

"Then I wish you success in your breakthrough!"

"Don't worry, I will definitely break the seal on my kidney meridian!"

Shi Shaojian nodded vigorously and went inside to begin his seclusion.

Lin Bei watched Shi Shaojian's retreating figure, his lips twitching slightly.

Is breaking the seal on his kidney meridian through emotional connection the driving force behind his cultivation?

He stood outside for a while, then turned around to ask Qingwei Zhenren and Shijian for his leave.

As for protecting Shi Shaojian?

That's impossible. No one would dare to cause trouble under the watchful eyes of Master Qingwei and Shi Jian!

"Grandmaster, Master, this disciple would like to go out for a walk."

Lin Bei bowed and said, "Cultivation cannot be confined to the mountain forever. This disciple wishes to go out and gain some experience."

Master Qingwei glanced at him: "There's still a year and a half until the Luo Tian Grand Ceremony. Where do you want to go?"

"I haven't decided yet, I'll just go with the flow."

Shi Jian stood to the side without saying a word, only nodding slightly.

Master Qingwei pondered for a moment: "Very well, going out and seeing the world will be good for your cultivation."

"Just remember, don't force yourself to fight someone you can't beat."

"Our Maoshan connections are stronger than you can imagine!"

"Disciple...understands."

Lin Bei left Jiuxiao Wanfu Palace, packed his belongings briefly, and took Bai Ling down the mountain.

He didn't tell many people about his departure, but quietly said goodbye to a few familiar junior brothers before walking down the mountain path.

After descending Maoshan, Lin Bei had no specific direction and randomly chose a path, heading south.

Bai Ling followed at his feet, jogging to chase butterflies by the roadside, occasionally darting out from a clump of grass, a wildflower dangling from her mouth.

After traveling for several days, Lin Bei passed through a village and suddenly sensed a faint aura of death.

Although the aura was very faint, and a weak cultivator might not be able to detect it at all, it could not escape his perception.

Lin Bei narrowed his eyes and quickened his pace toward the village.

They found the village deserted, with every household's doors tightly shut, and the entire village shrouded in an atmosphere of deathly silence.